1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to paint roller devices, and more particularly to an improved paint roller designed to removably receive cartridges that produce a decorative paint effect on a flat surface.
2. Background and related art
Paint rollers are well known in the art as a fast and convenient means by which to coat a flat surface with a layer of paint. Unfortunately, such rollers are only capable of spreading a uniform coat of a given paint color across the surface, and cannot be effectively used to create designs or patterns on the surface. In the 1930's painting techniques such as rag rolling and sponging became popular as a means to attain a decorative, patterned paint coating on a wall, ceiling or the like. Unfortunately, such techniques generally required a great deal of time and skill to successfully complete, making them unfeasible options for the general public. As a result, those wishing to obtain decorative patterns typically have had to resort to covering their walls with wallpaper. However, wallpaper is also very expensive, and its application requires skills that many people do not possess. Wallpaper is also undesirable because its removal is an arduous process that requires a good deal of time.
More recently, rolling devices designed to apply paint in a decorative manner have become available. One such device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,529, to Ohta, consists of a roller having an elastic sheet secured to its surface. The elastic sheet has several different shapes and patterns, thus creating a painted pattern when the roller is rotated across the surface to be coated. Unfortunately, this device is capable of creating only a limited number of different patterns. In addition, while it is substantially easier than prior art rolling and sponging methods, it still requires a degree of artistic knowledge and skill, as patterns are created only when the roller is rotated in such a way that the paint is thrown onto a surface to be painted by means of centrifugal force. This is a substantial disadvantage when the device is used to create a repetitive pattern, as the user must appropriately realign the roller and rotate it with the same amount of centrifugal force across the entire surface in order to create a continuous pattern.
Other such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,179 to Wright et al. and European Patent No. 302,662,B1 also issued to Wright et al. These devices have flexible flaps extending outwardly from a roller so that when the roller is rolled across a freshly painted surface, the flaps strike the paint and create a broken pattern. While these devices are somewhat simpler to use than other prior art devices, they are significantly limited in that the flaps are permanently secured to the roller, thus allowing only a single pattern to be created with the device. Although the elastic sheet of Ohta's device includes several different shapes, it too is limited to producing only a set number of patterns. This is a significant disadvantage of these prior art devices, as it forces consumers to purchase a separate roller device for each new pattern desired.
Thus there is a clear need for an improved paint roller device that would allow the user to create an infinite number of designs and patterns with a single roller device. Such a device would be easy to use, require no special skills or knowledge to use, and would be relatively inexpensive. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.